National Native American Bar Association
About National Native American Bar Association
National Native American Bar Association shares many of the same goals of diversity and increased understanding of our communities’ unique cultural and legal issues with minority bar associations. However, most of our lawyers are both U.S. citizens and citizens of their respective Tribal nations. Our members, therefore, also share the communal responsibility, either directly or indirectly, of protecting the governmental sovereignty of the more than 560 independent Native American Tribal governments in the United States.
The National Native American Bar Association began in 1973 as the American Indian Lawyers Association. After a few name changes (American Indian Bar Association to Native American Bar Association), in 1980 we reorganized and developed a chapter system for state Indian bar associations, and we became the National Native American Bar Association. Each of the Chapters has a vote on the NNABA Board of Directors. As the name Native American implies, NNABA represents the interests of all populations indigenous to the lands which are now collectively the United States : American Indians, Alaska Natives, and Native Hawaiians.